profund

Profund is a largely archaic or historical English form meaning deep. In modern English, the standard adjective is profound, and profund is now rarely used outside of etymological discussion or certain technical terms that preserve the Latin root. The term survives primarily as a linguistic relic rather than a productive everyday word.

Etymology and history: Profund derives from the Latin profundus, meaning deep or bottomless. It reached English via older Romance forms and medieval Latin, but over time profound largely supplanted it in general usage. In older texts, profund may appear as a standalone meaning deep, yet this usage is largely confined to historical or literary contexts today.

Modern derivatives and related terms: The root profund- remains visible in several scientific terms derived from profundus. In limnology, the profundal zone describes the deep-water part of a lake where light is scarce and conditions differ from the shallow littoral zone. The noun profundity and the adjective profound are the contemporary expressions most often encountered, while profundal and related forms retain the connection to depth without using profund as a standalone adjective.

Summary: Today, profund is mainly of interest to scholars studying the history of English or the etymology of depth-related terms. It is not a commonly used word in contemporary standard English, where its meaning has been absorbed by profound and related derivatives.